Posts by mizpah

27

You Should all be Listening to The W?T Now!!!

by Latte in

i have done load of washing, cleaning, getting school uniform ready - (and all that goes with that) this sunday morning.

what a chunck out of your day attending the kh was!

i remember being so tired after sunday activities: make sandwiches for fs, get kids ready, get to kh.

mizpah

I am still in awe of my wife who made it all work during those busy years in the organization. She had four children to take care of, meals to prepare, house to clean, clothes to wash and all the other chores of running a household. And she did this for years. Without her I would never have been able to function as one of Jehovah's Witnesses and a "servant" in the congregation.

One time when a circuit servant and his wife were entertained at our house, my wife spent extra time cooking their favorite meal and entertaining them while visiting us. After the meal, the circuit servant's wife got up from the table and said she was going to "relax" before going out in service. She even had the audacity to ask my wife if she was going to join her. My wife said she was sorry but she would be unable to go. The fact was she had too much work ahead of her justing cleaning up after the meal. It was this kind of inconsiderate behavior of the overseers and their wives which eventually made us question the whole organization.

7

So what was all THAT about?

by dmouse in

very strange thing happened yesterday.. my wife went to a meeting at the hall - on a saturday evening!.

apparently the leicester forest east had a special visit from a bigwig from london bethel.. the main talk was about jesus - his office and ministry.

why was a special visit necessary?

mizpah

dmouse:
I think you may be right about this. As I understand it, recent Watchtowers have emphasized Christ more. Undoubtedly, it is a reaction to the criticism that the Watchtower Society relegates Christ to a lesser position in its literature and meetings. It may be a feeble attempt to stop this type of criticism from "apostates" as well as other religious groups.

One always has to "read between the lines" of the Watchtower literature to really get a sense of what is happening in the organization. The leaders of the Watchtower try to give the impression that they are impervious to this type of censure. But the subtle reactions are often apparent when these things are addressed in articles and meetings.

24

Looong assemblies.

by avishai in

jw
friends

when i was a kid in the early 1970's, i remember assemblies being longer thatn they are now, but because i was little, i do'nt remember.

also, i've heard in the 50's & 60's they were even longer.

how long were they?

mizpah

Correction:

1953 Assembly!

24

Looong assemblies.

by avishai in

jw
friends

when i was a kid in the early 1970's, i remember assemblies being longer thatn they are now, but because i was little, i do'nt remember.

also, i've heard in the 50's & 60's they were even longer.

how long were they?

mizpah

The 1952 and 1958 assemblies in NYC were eight days, Sunday to Sunday. The sessions were held in the afternoons and evenings. As I recall, they ended around 8 or 9 PM. Everyone was always encouraged to stay until the evening prayer. Mornings were suppose to be for field service such as street work advertising the main talk on Sunday.

At one of these assemblies, I was shocked to find out the "higher ups" sat in air conditioned club rooms and had all meals served to them. They usually watched the procedings on closed circuit TVs. The rank and file, in contrast, sat in the hot stadium and waited in long cafeteria lines to eat. After the sessions we had to take the subway back to our rooms. Many of us stayed at private homes that were often cramped and hot. Most families arranged their vacation time to attend these uncomfortable events.

It was a far cry from the air conditioned convention centers that are often used today. But we faithfully attended these assemblies because each one was going to be the "last" before Armageddon!

20

Ray Franz and 1975

by izobcenec in

jw
friends

did ray franz believe that end would come in 1975...i am asking that because my jw friend said, that he listened to his talk few years before 1975 and that ray was very clear about 1975...my jw friend is blaming ray and those who were d/f in 1980 for 1975 fiasco and because they were d/f, he doesnt see any problem with 1975...thanx for your comments

mizpah

Undoubtedly, Ray Franz believed and supported the Watchtower's views about 1975. (All of us in the organization at the time did.) The significance of Ray's controversy with the Governing Body is that he started sharing some of his findings and doubts in the course of his research. For a very brief period there was a spirit of freedom at Bethel. Small groups began to study the Bible. They shared their research findings with each other. Important questions were being asked about some of the fundamental teachings of the Watchtower Society.

What followed was a tragedy. Members of the Governing Body saw this as a challenge to their own authority. The witch hunt that followed destroyed this era of freedom and purged the only men that could have made a difference in the entire organization.

However, thanks to men like Ray Franz and others who were caught in the paranoia of the Watchtower Society, many of us learned about the inner workings of the secret leadership and were encouraged to question the entire system. I, for one, will always be very grateful to these men for opening up my eyes to the real "truth" about the Watchtower Society.

33

News from Silentlambs on Erica Garza (Washington State)

by blondie in

recent newsletter from silentlambs.com updates.

i wanted to give a couple of updates for silentlambs and let everyone know we are busy behind the scenes.

new reports come in everyday and many are being helped with their situations.

mizpah

Blondie:

Thanks for the update on this case. Even when cases are dismissed for various reasons, the publicity about the Watchtower Society and its cruel policies are given wide distribution. This makes the public very aware of how careless and unchristian this organization is. It is this kind of exposure that makes the leaders very uncomfortable. And while they sit in their "ivory towers" at Bethel, it is obvious to all that Bill Bowen and others in the Silent Lamb movement as well as the victims themselves have made a real difference!

7

The Finished Mystery: What JWs Once Believed

by Kenneson in

to view a copy of this book go to http://www.geocities.com/athens/thebes/5606/fm/tc.htm .

it is still made available by the bible students.

it's interesting to note that one of the first truths presented in the preface portrays charles taze russell as the messenger of the laodicean church--"that wise and faithful servant of the lord.

mizpah

The "Finished Mystery" was the "bombshell" that caused a schism at Bethel in 1917. Rutherford was passing this publication as the posthumous work of Russell. But, in fact, it was coauthored by Rutherford, Woodworth and Fisher. This issue led to the eventual defection of many Bible Students from the Watchtower organization. Some formed their own "Bible Student" groups. Some of these still use the Studies in the Scriptures but eliminate the "Finished Mystery" as a publication of Rutherford. (More information about this can be found in Penton's APOCALYPSE DELAYED. Pages 50-52)

11

Where is Jesus?

by AuntieJane in

did any of you who came into the dubs as adults ask this question, since jc is "stifled" by the jw "bible", the nwt.??

if so, what kind of answers did you get?

if not, did you think it odd that this so-called christian organization didn't preach in christ's name?

mizpah

AuntieJane:

For many of us who came out of the traditional Protestant churches, we were so overwhelmed with new information that we hadn't heard in church that we never really thought much about the secondary role Christ played among Jehovah's Witnesses. In most churches, the emphasis on Christ overshadows the role of His Father. (The trinity doctrine probably is the major cause of this.) In my own mind, though, Christ was as important as ever...so it never really registered that others thought differently.

However, over the years it slowly became evident to me that the role of Christ was being usurped by the Watchtower Society itself. Although Jehovah's Witnesses would strongly deny this, they view the Watchtower Society as the means that God uses to redeem and save mankind. Near the end of my association it was really brought home when a relative of mine who was one of Jehovah's Witnesses said: "All the churches talk about is Jesus, Jesus Jesus." I was really shocked. I thought to myself "isn't this what the "church" is all about?"

22

book of Mormon

by peacefulpete in

on satellite tv there is a regular program called book of mormon discussions, the panel of mormon teachers expound and ellaborate upon the deep meaning in the book, seeing great import and prophecy in every word.

the book is a joke as we all probably know.

it is low grade fiction filled with plagerism and anachronism.

mizpah

For anyone interested in pursuing the subject, I would highly recommend the book by Ernest H Taves entitled: TROUBLE ENOUGH Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. (Prometheus Books) The author's mother was a devote Mormon. And he had early exposure to the church and its teachings.

He also wrote another book about Brigham Young: THIS IS THE PLACE Brigham Young and the New Zion. (Same publishing house)

22

What year was New World Translation first used?

by Double Edge in

.

does anyone know what year the jws first started using the new world translation and what bible was used before that?

thanks.

mizpah

As I recall, the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures (New Testament) was released in 1950. Then, portions of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) were released at various assemblies thereafter. Eventually, the entire NWT was combined into one book. Many of us continued to use the KJV or the ASV out in service. But the NWT began to be quoted and used by the Watchtower Society as the athoritative translation in its publications.